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Southland has set itself the ambitious goal of becoming a carbon neutral region which the Government is backing with a $190,000 grant from the Government’s Community Environment Fund.

Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage announced the funding today for the Carbon Neutral Advantage project which will see local business, industry and communities work together to transition Southland to a carbon neutral region.

The Green Party continue to oppose the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (CPTPP) Amendment Bill, which would allow for the ratification of the CPTPP.

“We’ve always opposed deals which prioritise money over the environment and working peoples’ rights and continue to do so with this Bill”, Green spokesperson on Trade Golriz Ghahraman said today.

“We’re proposing amendments to the Bill that would prevent countries like America joining the CPTPP unless they agree not to use ISDS on New Zealand – something hundreds of submitters told us they were concerned with.

The deaths of three men in yesterday’s helicopter crash in Wanaka is a huge and deeply felt personal loss for the Department of Conservation (DOC) whanau and New Zealand conservation, Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage said today.

Scott Theobald, Ranger Biodiversity, Paul (Hondy) Hondelink, Senior Ranger Biodiversity and Nick Wallis, Director and General Manager of Alpine Helicopters were flying to undertake tahr control in the Haast area when their helicopter crashed.

Auckland-based business Asona is getting $185,000 from the Waste Minimisation Fund to help develop a recycling system for acoustic ceiling panels, Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage announced today.

“The Government is committed to reducing the amount of waste going to landfill and to increasing recycling,” Eugenie Sage said.

The Green Party strongly condemns the attack on free press with the presumed death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

“Journalism is not a crime and no one should be murdered for speaking up against power”, Green spokesperson on human rights and foreign affairs Golriz Ghahraman said today.

“There are mixed reports in the media, some are reporting that Saudi officials are strongly denying the murder, others are saying they are preparing a statement to claim that an interrogation went wrong, resulting in Jamal Khashoggi’s death.

Ethos Environmental has taken out the Supreme Award at the New Zealand Spatial Excellence Awards tonight in Wellington for its use of location-based data to help control pest infestations on Great Barrier Island.

Ethos Environmental created an integrated Internet of Things (IoT) Geographic Information System (GIS) to record and analyse rat and feral cat intrusions, report when traps are triggered and monitor biodiversity gains. As a result, Ethos Environmental’s GIS provides a platform for the wider conservation sector to use.

The Green Party agrees with the Salvation Army that bold new steps are needed to stop a worrying trajectory of increased rent rises and homelessness.

“Home ownership is at its lowest rate since 1951 which means an entire generation is living with renting. 200,000 of these households are living in high financial stress due to unaffordable rent and, worse, we currently have 60,000 people on the very cusp of homelessness living in inadequate and precarious situations. This is not good enough”, Green Party Co-leader Marama Davidson said today.